BY JACOB KAYE
The redesign of the Queens bus network will remain on hold until it is once again safe for the MTA to solicit feedback from community members in large groups, the agency said last week.
“We will not move forward with the Queens Redesign project before having the opportunity to receive feedback from communities we were unable to meet with because of COVID-19,” the MTA said in an email to elected officials and community stakeholders.
When New York City begins to reopen, the MTA said it will then begin to reach out to elected officials and community stakeholders about the next steps of the redesign.
The MTA hosted 29 meetings in neighborhoods across Queens prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City. Meetings were canceled to help quell the spread of the virus.
Many of the feedback meetings saw concern from community members, who feared, in some cases, the community would loose vital bus lines.
In email sent in March, the MTA said it would explore digital technology as a way to communicate with community members during the COVID-19 crisis.
The MTA did not immediately respond to request for comment on the status of its digital outreach methods.
This story first appeared on qns.com.
